Stockton survivor of Las Vegas shooting revisits, reflects

ABC10's Frances Wang first spoke with Sterni-Juarez when she arrived back home in Stockton. Now, more than a month later, she is still coping with what she went through.

Author:
Frances Wang

Published:
5:14 AM PST November 8, 2017

Updated:
11:52 AM PST November 8, 2017

On Oct. 1, 2017, Joann Sterni-Juarez and her husband were with tens of thousands of others at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, sharing their love for country music.

When shots fired, the two took cover at the nearby Tropicana Hotel for hours, not knowing if they would make it to daylight.

ABC10's Frances Wang first spoke with Sterni-Juarez when she arrived back home in Stockton. Now, more than a month later, she is still coping with what she went through.

"On Sunday nights, I don't want to be up around 10. I get anxiety [because] that was the shooting time," said Sterni-Juarez. "I just want to go to sleep."

Sterni-Juarez added that she is always on guard.

"I went to dinner, scared me because some guy ran in wanting to see the score," said Sterni-Juarez.

Then there are the feelings of survivors' guilt, something many others are dealing with. Many, including Sterni-Juarez, are also seeking therapy. Sterni-Juarez's recommended she and her husband re-visit Las Vegas.

"We've had a hard time getting closure, in a shock stage. We left something there," said Sterni-Juarez. "We wanted to retrace our steps, went back to where we ran from...felt like October just froze for us."

On their drive home away from Las Vegas, Sterni-Juarez received news of yet another mass shooting, this time in Texas.

"It's heartbreaking. I just wanna go over there, because I know exactly how they felt," said Sterni-Juarez. "People were in church...they probably prayed for us. Now they're going through it."